


My Heart Won't Go On

by NatLannister



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Joe, BAMF Nicky, Boys In Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Torture, Worried Joe, kidnapped nicky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26260288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatLannister/pseuds/NatLannister
Summary: To what lengths will Joe go to rescue his love back when Nicky is taken by the last person he ever expected.Aka Quynh is super pissed at the team when she escapes her coffin and takes Nicky to enact her revenge.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 4
Kudos: 141





	My Heart Won't Go On

The wind was strong that night, and the moon seemed to be hiding behind the clouds. It was quiet at the shipyard, where the old guard was finishing up their newest mission.

Copley had told the team of a shipment of girls being shipped out of a French harbor to be sold off as sex slaves. It didn’t take much convincing to get the team onboard for saving the girls. The only issue was Andy.

She was mortal now, which meant for the first time in a very long time they had to be cautious. Before it was always going in guns blazing. They could still do that, just with Andy safely tucked behind them.

The plan was simple. Andy, Joe and Nile would attack the captors from the ground and rescue the girls. Nicky would be perched up in the control tower with his sniper. He would be the eyes in the sky and watch the boss’s back. 

Through the scoop of his gun, he counted at least 20 armed men. Nothing the team couldn’t handle. 

He tapped on his ear pierce and informed the team of what he saw. The armed men were surrounding a bright red crate, waiting for their boat to come get them. It was a small window of time.

“Go now” Nicky commanded to the others. He aimed his gun and shot the two men standing guard out front.

The team advanced forward, moving as quiet as ninjas. Nile and Joe each took a different side of the dock, while Andy went straight down the middle. 

Nicky kept his gaze on Andy and killed anyone who even looked in her direction. The fight was over before it had even begun. It was like a dance. Joe would shoot with such precision it always hit their mark. If the gun didn’t manage to kill them, then Joe’s blade would do the trick.

Even though Andy didn’t heal, she sure fought like she was still immortal. She didn’t duck or try to take cover when fired upon, she looked death right in the eyes. Nicky made sure no one had the chance to shoot at her twice. 

The newest member managed to hold her own. Only one enemy was lucky enough to shoot her in the shoulder. It didn’t even faze her. Her kills might not be as graceful as Joe’s and Andy’s, but it still got the job done.

When the smoke cleared, the team assessed each other for injuries and any remaining enemy troops. Nicky informed over the cons that the coast was clear. He couldn’t help, but blush when Joe turned around and gave him a wink. 

The group made their way over to the crate. From his high position, Nick watched eagerly as Joe broke the lock off the crate. The end was always the best part of the mission, getting to see all the people they saved.

The lock broke off easily. Joe and Nile pushed open the door and were immediately hit with a horrible smell. Joe and Andy knew that smell, it was something you could never forget.

Nile being her naive self, threw up the door and gasped. The crate was a bloody mess. Blood and body parts of the girls were everywhere. The newest member threw up her dinner and backed away from the scene. 

“What the hell happened here? What were those men guarding?” Joe questioned, looking at Andy. She always had an answer to everything.

“That son of a bitch set us up again” Andy growled, slamming the door shut. Even after all these years, innocent blood shed was still difficult to look at. “I’m going to rip Copley’s throat out.”

An eerie silence filled the air. Joe felt a shiver go up his spine. He turned to where his lover was hiding. It was too dark to see him. “Nicky” he called out over the earpiece.

All he heard was static. Joe’s worry began to grow. “Nicolo” he said again, trying to hide his fear. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. Maybe his love was just on the way down to them.

After a few more moments of silence, the team decided to go find Nicky. Andy was the first up the ladder with Joe not too far behind. Nile stayed at the bottom, making sure no one tried sneaking up on them. 

The climb was long, but it went by even longer for Joe. Each step was agony, he just needed to see his Nicky. Everything would be alright as long as he was there.

Andy reached the top first and from her expression alone, Joe knew something bad had happened. When he reached the top, his knees grew weak.

There was a pool of blood where Nicky had been laying. It was still wet and fresh. The next thing he noticed were the bloody drag marks. He followed them to the other side of the watch tower all the way to the edge.

The two looked down over the railing and saw on the ground even more blood and tire tracks. Joe threw back his head and screamed. Nicky and Joe had never been apart since the day they became immortals. Whoever took his love was going to pay.

********

Nicky’s eyes took some time to adjust to his new surroundings. His body ached all over from his fall. The next thing he noticed were that his hands and legs were bound. How original he thought. From what he could tell he was in a moving car. 

His body was slowly healing, larger injuries took more time. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious in the back of the car. 

“Look who is finally awake” he heard from the front of the car. “Who knew decapitation took that long to heal.” 

The memory hit the Italian in an instant. He had been so focused on watching over Andy, he had failed to hear someone sneak up behind him. He felt the stab of a sword go through his neck then nothing. He was somewhat aware of being thrown over a railing but that was it.

He was very curious to know who his captures were. “Don’t you want to know why I took you?”

“All you people are the same. You want my power.”

The car came to a screeching halt, throwing Nicky off balance. He heard the person climb out the driver’s seat and run to the back. Light poured into the car and Nicky’s mouth fell open in shock. 

“I don’t want your power. I want you and the rest of the team to experience the centuries of agony I had to endure.”

“Quyhn” Nicky muttered “we searched for you. We tried everything.”

“If it was Joe, you would have never stopped searching.” She pulled out a shotgun. “The next time you wake up the real fun will begin.” Then she pulled the trigger.

Cold water was splashed onto Nicky’s face, waking him up. He sat up and his heart dropped. They were on a boat in the middle of the sea. “Do you know what it's like to drown and come back to life to only drown again?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “It was worse than hell or anything else you could ever imagine.”

She continued with her speech. “And then when you finally free yourself, you see that your family has moved on. That they have forgotten about you.”

“We never forgot” Nicky interrupted, earning a kick in the face from his old friend. 

“You’ll know what it’s like soon enough. Joe won’t wait around for you, just like Andy didn’t for me. They will all forget about you.”

“Joe would never.”

Quyhn just smirked and began wrapping chains around Nicky’s body. “Are you going to put me in an Iron Maiden?” Nicky asked, scanning the ship for the coffin.

The woman didn’t respond. She finished up with the chains and dragged Nicky to the edge of the boat. “First we will have some fun. Do you remember Keelhauling?”

The Italian cursed up a storm in his native tongue. Medieval tortures like that had died out in the new century. 

Before he could even react, he was thrown overboard. All he could was helplessly scream as Quynh pulled him along the bottom of the boat. It might not sound bad, but the bottom was encrusted with barnacles. This caused him to get lacerations all over his body.

When he was pulled to the other side, he had died at least three times. Quynh didn’t give him much time to heal, as he was pulled back under the ship. It was all pain. His lungs were exploding from lack of oxygen and his limbs were getting torn apart. Not even in death could he escape the agony.

***********

All Joe could see was red. He wanted to find his Nicky and kill whoever took his man. Nile was driving the car because she was the only one staying sane. Andy and Joe were in no state to drive. 

Copley was in a nearby hotel waiting for the team’s arrival. Anxiously waiting to hear the status of the mission. Joe stormed into the hotel lobby and no one dared to go near him. If looks could kill, everyone in the lobby would have been dead. 

Once the team were all in the elevator, Joe grabbed his knife. “I’m going to make him beg for death.”

Andy smirked in agreement, Copley’s death would be a long one. “Let’s not jump to conclusions, he could be innocent” Nile countered, she might not have been with the team long, but was still worried about Nicky. It hurt her to see how worried Joe and Andy were.

The elevator doors dinged open and Joe bolted to Copley’s room. Before Nile could process what was happening, Joe had kicked down the door and had Copley pinned against the wall. “You set us up” he growled, tightening his hold on the man’s neck. “I’ll make you pay.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about” Copley choked out, his face turning beet red. Nile could tell he wasn’t lying. 

Nile couldn’t help but be surprised when Andy stepped in between Joe and Copley. “I think he’s telling the truth. It would be very stupid for him to betray us again.” She turned to Joe and told him to cool off.

“Did something go wrong on the job?” Copley asked, trying to catch his breath. He looked around the room and saw Joe sitting on the bed with his hands between his head. “Where’s Nicky?”

“He was taken.”

“I swear I had nothing to do with it.”

“I know” Andy agreed, staring into his eyes. She looked for any sign of deception. “But I need to know where you found out about this job.”

“Were there no girls?”

Nile sighed, putting her hand on Copley’s shoulder. “We were too late, they had all been killed.”

The man hung his head low in shame. “I found out about the girls from a colleague. I still have my connections with my old job. They said a new gang was starting and that the leader was stealing girls for prostitution.”

“Do you know anything else?” Nile pleaded.

“No, all I know is the gang is called Iron Maiden and they have just came out of nowhere.”

Andy and Joe snapped their heads over at Copley. “What did you say?” Andy questioned, walking over towards him.

“Just that the gang is called Iron Maiden.”

Now it was Andy who was pinning Copley against the wall. “Who runs the fucking gang?”

“I don’t know, I think her name is Quynh.”

“Fuck” Andy screamed, punching a hole right through the hotel wall. Her knuckles split open and began to bleed. She felt no pain, just anger and worry.

Joe had fallen to his knees, his anger had melted away into sobs. This was his worst nightmare. 

“Shouldn’t you be happy?” Nile questioned innocently. “Your friend is alive and freed herself from her prison.”

“She isn’t the same woman. Her rage has turned her into something else. She doesn’t want to be our friend, Nile. She wants revenge. And now Nicky is on the receiving end of her rage.”

All Nile could do was nod in understanding. “Well how do we find her?”

“We won’t find her, she will find us. She is probably watching us now.”

Joe couldn’t take it anymore. He stumbled out of the small hotel room and went straight into the elevator. He needed air, he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. Everything in the lobby looked blurry to him as he made his way outside.

He heard someone call his name but it sounded so far. He felt incomplete and more alone than he had ever felt in his life. 

“Joe, you need to calm down and breathe.” It was Andy. “I need you to be a strong soldier.”

“How do you expect me to be strong when Nicky is being tortured!” he screamed, ignoring the shocked faces of the people passing by. 

Andy crouched down next to him and pulled Joe into a hug. “You won’t be much help to Nicky if you continue to feel sorry for yourself. He needs you, Joe. You have to pull yourself together.”

“I know” he cried, “it’s just so hard being without him. He is my rock.”

“We are going to get him back, I promise.”

While the two of them were distracted, they failed to notice a person standing behind them. “I hope you acted that way when I was taken.”

Joe and Andy stood up, each grabbing their weapon of choice. “I thought you would be happy to see me” Quynh taunted with a crazed look in her eyes. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” She looked directly into Joe’s eyes. “Even Nicky had more to say, but it was mostly screaming.”

“Shut up” Joe growled, pointing his gun straight at her head. “I’ll kill you.”

“Andy control your man, it wouldn’t be very smart of him to shoot me in front of a bunch of witnesses.”

The leader glanced around and saw that a crowd was forming around them. If Joe shot Quynh then their immortality wouldn’t stay secret for long. “Put down the gun, Joe” she ordered, they needed to get back in the hotel. 

Joe did as he was told and tucked the weapon behind him. “Meet me at the docks tomorrow at midnight if you want to see Nicky again” she told them ominously, before backing away into the crowd. 

The gathering crowd slowly dispersed around them, but Andy guessed one of them had probably called the cops. The hotel was no longer safe. They went back in to collect Nile and Copley and then headed towards one of Andy’s many safehouses. 

The safehouse was underground, and appeared to be an old bomb shelter. Once they were safe inside, Andy caught Nile up on what had happened. 

“So what’s the plan?”

“Meet her at the docks tomorrow night” Andy responded coolly, patting the dust off of her bed.

“You do realize that it’s a trap” Nile explained, when no one else rejected the plan. “She wants to capture us.”

Andy shook her head at the newest member. “This is all a ploy to get to me. She has no gripes against Joe and Nicky.”

“But she’ll kill you.”

“At least she can’t torture me for an eternity. If it’s my time, then it’s my time.”

“Joe” Nile pleaded “there has to be a better plan. We can’t let Quynh kill Andy.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think. Quynh is unpredictable, her true intentions are unknown. But I would let her torture me if it meant Nicky was safe.”

Copley cleared his throat “I think I might have a suggestion.”

“Honestly I forgot you were even here” Andy admitted, digging through a moldy cabinet to find some alcohol. If it was going to be her last night alive, she might as well have a drink. “Is it possible that Quynh doesn’t know about Nile?”

Andy found an old bottle of whiskey and chugged it down in less than 5 seconds. “Could be possible. We dream of each other though, so she could have seen her.”

“But maybe she doesn’t know that I’m with you guys.”

“Only one way to find out. Nile try to see if you get in contact with Booker” Andy said with a smirk, a new plan already forming in her head. She pulled out another whiskey and threw the cap off. This time though she didn’t drink the whole thing. She took a big sip and then handed the bottle to Joe. “Drink up, you are going to need it.”

Joe looked at the bottle with sad eyes, but drank it all. He knew it would help with the dreams tonight. Since Nicky was apart from them, they would dream of him. It was going to be one of the hardest nights of his life. 

The empty bottle fell to the ground as Joe laid down on his cot. The bed felt so big, and his body was so cold. He was missing his other half. The rest of the team went to sleep, they would need their energy for tomorrow. 

The second Joe fell asleep, he saw his Nicky. Then he felt the pain and just how terrified he truly was. He felt Nicky drown, and then wake up only to drown again. He saw him struggle against his restraints as he was pulled under the boat, getting cut apart by barnacles.

Joe didn’t even know he was screaming in his sleep, till he was shaken awake by Andy. His throat felt raw from his screams of horror. “I felt it too” she admitted, handing Joe another drink. “I can only imagine what she will have in store for us.”

“Do you think she will trade Nicky’s life for mine?”

“Let’s not think like that. The plan is going to work and you will see Nicky again.”

The two friends embraced, and Joe just released all the tears he had been holding back. The hole in his heart grew bigger each second he was away from Nicolo. He couldn’t go on another day like this.

In the morning, Nile awoke to see Joe and Andy talking outside the bunker. She wondered how much sleep they had gotten. No one slept good that night, the dreams were too hard to bear. Nile woke up Copley and told him to get dressed.

She went outside to join her team. From the expression on their faces, she could tell they all had the same dream. “I’m so sorry, Joe” she sighed, unable to even guess how he must feel. 

“I’ll be seeing him tonight hopefully if the plan works accordingly” he responded, trying to stay somewhat positive in this horrible situation. 

“I don’t mean to add more bad news, but I couldn’t get in touch with Booker. Should we be worried?”

Andy shrugged. “Could mean he is off drunk somewhere or that something more sinister is at play. We can’t dwell on that for too long. We will deal with that once Nicky is taken care of.”

Once Copley emerged from the bunker, they drove to a small diner to have some breakfast and lots of coffee. Andy discussed the plan again to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Andy and Joe would turn themselves over to Quynh, each with a tracker implanted in their arms. Nile and Copley would follow after them on their own boat. They would wait in hiding until Quynh gave them Nicky. Then Nile would sneak onto the boat and free the team. 

The plan seemed easy enough, but Andy and Joe weren’t getting their hopes too high. Quynh had centuries to plan her revenge, she probably thought of every possible scenario. 

Joe and Andy headed over to the docks in the early evening to scope it out. Copley and Nile stayed in a local hotel with a view of the docks. They kept a watchful eye over the two members.

When it neared midnight, Joe began to get antsy. He was pacing around, unable to sit still. The suspense was killing him. 

It was at exactly midnight when a ship came into view. It stayed off a mile from shore, but they could see a small speedboat get lowered into the water. Andy and Joe waited at the end of the dock and could see there were three people in the speedboat.

The boat came to a stop in front of them, and the driver threw zip ties at them. “Put them on” he ordered. Joe and Andy did as they were told and once the man tightened the ziplies, they were allowed on the small boat.

The ride to the main ship was quiet, as they both prepared themselves for the worse. The ship came closer into view and Andy could see Quynh waiting for them at the bottom of her ship. 

The boat reminded Andy of her and Quynh’s old ship, when they were pirates. It was made of wood and even had their old flag symbol on it. But it still looked somewhat modern with headlights and a control room on the upper deck of the ship.

When the speedboat came to a stop, Quynh welcomed them to her ship. “Andy, I can tell you find the boat familiar. I had it specially made for you” she beamed, helping the two prisoners onto the deck. “I must admit I am surprised you came.”

“Where’s Nicky?” Joe growled, getting to the main reason why he was there. 

“You’ll see him soon enough, but be patient. We still have some things to discuss.” She turned to Andy with a frown. “Is it true you are no longer immortal?”

“Yes.”

“What a shame! And here I thought Nicky was lying to me. You should have heard him begging me to spare you since you can’t heal anymore. Actually he begged me to spare all of you and to just torture him.”

Joe charged at her, but Quynh was quicker. She moved out of the way, and brought her leg down, causing Joe to lose his balance. The man crashed to the deck and just for good measure, Quynh stabbed him through the heart with her sword.

While Joe laid there dead, she tied him up against the pole. “Why are you doing this?” Andy pleaded, trying to talk some sense into her old friend and lover. 

“You all deserve to suffer just like I have.”

Andy was dragged over next Joe and tied up next to him. Joe was awake and very pissed off. The man thrashed against his restraints, but he figured out pretty soon he couldn’t break through. 

The two were left alone while Quynh went under the deck. She came back up a moment later, dragging someone with a bag covering their head. “Nicolo” Joe called out, pulling on the restraints. 

The bag was thrown off revealing Booker. He looked completely broken. “Booker here is the reason I knew where to find you and how to trick your new toy Copley into sending you on the mission. He wouldn’t talk at first but I can be quite persuasive.”

“Fuck you” Andy cursed, “he had nothing to do with what had happened to you.”

“You’re right, and neither did Nile.”

“What” Andy struttered, losing her whole train of thought. 

Quynh smirked, signaling at her one of her men to approach. “I told you Booker told me everything. Bring out the other prisoners” she commanded, not even trying to hide her laugh.

Nile and Copley were dragged over, tied up just like Andy and Joe. “They weren’t hard to find. I knew you wouldn’t just turn yourselves over to me.” 

The whole old guard seemed to be there except for Nicky. “Where is he?” Joe asked, terrified to find out the answer.

“He’s right here,” Quynh answered, grabbing a small bag on the ground. She pulled out two arms, and Joe would know those arms anywhere. They were Nicky's arms. All Joe could do was sob. 

“Where is the rest of him?” Nile screamed with such anger and passion, that it made Quynh almost feel bad. 

“The ocean takes whoever it wants. It doesn’t care if you are immortal or mortal. You are it’s prisoner till it releases you” the woman responded, looking human for the first time. She spoke from her past experience. “I didn’t mean to lose him. I still wanted to have some fun with him.”

She threw down Nicky’s arms right in front of Joe. “You’ll be joining your lover soon, then you both can drown till the end of time. You will be the first to meet a watery grave.”

Joe had lost his need to fight. His body and mind felt numb. All he could was think of how scared Nicolo was. He put up no fight as two men led him towards his own iron coffin. He would be with his love soon. 

In the distance, he could hear Andy and Nile both yelling at Quynh to stop. Andy was begging to trade her life for everyone else’s, but she just didn’t get it. This was Andy’s torture, knowing she could do nothing while her family is torn apart. 

He was slammed into the coffin and saw the iron bars close around him. A lock was put on the door to make sure he could never escape. “Bring the other ones up for Nile and Booker. I don’t want Joe getting too lonely down there.” In her hands was a key to the lock. “Maybe in a decade or two, Andy and I will check up on you.”

Joe’s coffin was lifted off the deck and hanging high above the water. Once Quynh was ready and gave the signal the chains would be released and he would soon be in a watery hell. A look of confusion washed over her face when none of her men emerged from the lower deck. 

********

Nicky knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Everytime he was pulled under the ship, he took even longer to heal. He had to think of a way to escape and fast, because once Quynh pulls him back onto the ship he would be trapped.

It was maybe after the third time he died, he had managed to free his legs from the restraints. Freeing his arms would prove to be the challenge. The chains were wrapped tightly around them, which meant his arms would need to go if he wanted to break free. 

He waited till Quynh pulled him under the boat again and put his plan into action. This time as he neared the sharp barnacles he held his arms out and let them take the brute of the damage. 

His left arm was sawed down to the bone, nearly causing him to pass out from the pain. He pushed through it though and pushed his other arm down onto the boat until he heard a snap.

Ignoring the agony in his arms, he pushed his feet off the boat causing both his arms to pop off. The chains pulled them around the boat and then Nicky’s world went black. He wasn’t sure if it was the blood loss or drowning that had killed him. 

When he woke up, he could see the chain being pulled back onto the boat. What was left of his arms were slowly starting to heal but it would take a while. If he could rest it would heal faster, but there is no rest under the water.

The currents were strong and if Nicky didn’t start swimming he would be pulled out into the sea. Then he would be lost forever.

He swam towards the boat, heading to where the engines were. They were under the wooden deck. It was just enough off the water that he could stay hidden underneath it. He would rest there till he had enough strength to swim back to shore, back to Joe.

From his hiding spot he could hear Quynh laughing. She thought Nicky was lost, little did she know he was right under her nose. 

It was then that he learned Booker was on board the boat. The French man was brought up from below the deck, and from what Niky could hear he was getting tortured as well. But his torture was different. 

Booker had already been broken physically, now Quynh was breaking him down mentally. She taunted him, making him blame himself for what had happened to Nicky. 

And then the Italian man heard of her plan. She was going to lure the others to the boat so they could have the same fate as her. She talked about going to the hotel where Andy and Joe were staying. It seemed like the plan of swimming to shore was no longer an option. He waited till she and some of her henchman had gone to shore to sneak onto the boat.

He was still weak and only half of his arms had grown back. The rest of his bodily injuries were still the process of healing. He couldn’t do much resting in the water, especially when fish were constantly biting him. All his open injuries had attracted quite of lot predators.

He crept along the boat, trying to pick a place to hide and wait. On the bridge of the boat, he could see about 10 guys, each heavily armed. They were messing around with Booker and if Nicky had the strength he would have killed them right then and there. But the most likely possibility was that if he went up there, he would be captured again and tortured.

The safest place for him at the moment was below deck. He tiptoed down the stairs, his eyes darting around to find a hiding place. His gaze landed upon four large barrels tucked away in the corner. They would have to do.

After making sure the coast was clear, he beelined towards the barrel. He pulled the lid to the side and climbed in. With his numb arms, he patiently moved the lid till it covered the top of the barrel once more. Then he rested.

Time passed by as he drifted in and out of sleep. He jolted awake when he heard Joe scream his name. He took a moment to assess his injuries. Both his arms had grown back and the deep cuts around his body had healed up fully. His body though was exhausted and hungry. He couldn’t remember when he had last eaten and drank water. It would have to wait though.

Quietly he moved the lid to the side and peeked out. He could see Quynh’s men trying to lift up an Iron Coffin. They were distracted and he knew it was his chance to strike.

Even without a weapon, Nicky could be quite deadly. 

Jumping out of the barrel, he darted straight to the men. They didn’t even stand a chance. They were all too busy trying to carry the coffin to fight back. Nicky snapped the first man’s neck, then gracefully grabbed the knife from his back pocket.

He twirled around the slitting the throat of the man next to him. Their bodies hit the ground at the same time, alerting the other three. They dropped the coffin, but it was too late.

Nicky was on them in an instant. He slashed one man across the chest and stabbed the other right in the head. The last man standing had enough time to draw his gun, but he never had a chance to pull the trigger. Nicky threw the knife, hitting the man directly in the heart.

He took a second to catch his breath and grabbed the discarded gun, and then he headed up the stairs. No one messed with his Joe and got away with it. 

When he emerged, he had his gun out and ready. The first shot entered into the head of the guard by Andy. The next one hit the captain of the boat. And then all hell broke loose.

The surviving henchmen opened fire on Nicky, while Quynh ran over to Joe. She pulled the lever, dropping Joe’s coffin into the dark cold waters. “No” Nicky yelled out, shooting her directly in the left eye. She fell over dead.

Nicky’s body became riddled with bullets, as the men fired freely at him. Some stray bullets even hit Booker and Nile. The Italian died for about 5 seconds, but when he came back there was a fire in his eyes. 

Instead of firing at the men, he shot the chains off of Nile and Booke. “Take care of them” he ordered, running over to Quynh. She was starting to twitch, so Nicky stabbed her in the head for good measure. He grabbed the key from around her neck and headed to the edge of the deck. He looked for something heavy and saw a spare anchor.

Without a second thought, he ran to the edge of the deck and held onto the anchor and jumped. The water was freezing and he was moving through it quicker than if he tried swimming. He died several times on the way down, but nothing would keep him from his love. The pressure caused his ears to pop and bleed, but he knew he must be getting close to the bottom when he felt like his head was going to explode.

His feet hit the sand, and then he realized just how screwed he was. The current was strong and everytime he died, it would move him. The water was pitch black so he had no idea where Joe was. He was beginning to panic, but he pushed down the feeling. Instead he just sat still and listened. He drowned a couple times before he finally heard something.

He could hear thrashing and what sounded like someone screaming underwater. He let his heart lead the way and soon could make out an outline of Joe’s coffin.

Unsiprisinly, Joe was dead when Nicky unlocked the cage. He grabbed onto his lover’s hand and kicked up. He died again, but at least he had Joe.

Joe couldn’t believe his eyes when he woke up. He expected to see the bars of the cage, but instead he was in the open ocean. It was then that he noticed something holding onto his hand. He didn’t even need to look to know that it was Nicky. With his last ounce of air, he swam to the surface.

This is how it went for the two men. One would swim up until they died and then the other would take their place. It was teamwork at its finest.

Nicky could see the surface of the water and the boat. He was so close, he could almost taste the air. The water had grown rough though. A storm was brewing.

If they didn’t get to the boat soon, they would be swept away. With all of his might, Nicky swam. He and Joe breached out of the water, and he could see Nile and Booker each in the speedboats looking for them. “Over here” he yelled, coughing out the water in his lungs.

Nile sped over to them, her face was pale and she was staring behind them. Nicky knew they were in for some trouble. Glancing behind him, he saw a giant wave making its way over to them. 

The next sound he heard was Joe taking a breath. He didn’t have time to dwell on it much, he kicked his legs and swam. With the last of his might, he pushed Joe onto the speedboat into Nile’s waiting arms. “Nicky” she gasped, as the wave crashed down on them.

“Go” he yelled, before being swept under by the sea.

She sped off just barely missing the wave. Joe sat up and took a breath of fresh air. He glanced around the boat, his eyes stopping on Nile. “Where is he?”

“He pushed you onto the boat. And then a wave crashed on him.”

“God damn it” he cursed, getting ready to dive back into the water. 

“I found him” Booker yelled, speeding off towards Nicky’s floating body. The current had carried him to the other side of the boat. Booker managed to grab him before the next wave crashed. Joe was anxiously awaiting on the boat to see his love. Nile had gone up to Andy, who was currently steering the boat, to check on her and Quynh. 

Booker helped Nicky onto the deck of the ship. He was limp and cold to the touch. “He still hasn’t woken up yet” Booker reported with concern to Joe. 

Joe scooped up Nicky into his arms, and ran up to the bridge of the ship, away from the rough waves. Andy was waiting for them on the upper deck. Nile was sitting next to a tied up Quynh, and whenever she started getting restless Nile would kill her. “How is he?” Andy asked, finally feeling relief for the first time since this whole ordeal.

“He isn’t breathing yet?” Joe cried, putting Nicky down on the floor next to Andy. “It can’t be his time, not yet. Death is so cruel …”

It was a slap to the face that snapped Joe out of his depressive state. “You idiot, he’s breathing. I think he just needs some rest. He has done a lot of healing these past few days.”

“Oh” Joe mumbled, staring at Nicky’s chest which was rising and falling. “Thank you boss.”

“No problem, you need to rest too. I’ll get us back to shore. Go to the lower deck, there are beds.”

Joe listened to the boss and went downstairs to let Nicky rest, Nile followed behind them. She needed to see Nicky open his eyes, then she would feel better. Andy was joined by Copley and Booker, after they finished securing the speedboats. The woman had sailed plenty of ships in her lifetimes through storms worse than this. “Hello old friend” she greeted Booker. She saw a deep sadness within him. “I think your punishment has been fulfilled. Do you wish to join the team again?”

“I would like that a lot” he said with a small smile. There was still hurt behind his eyes, and it wouldn’t go away overnight. It would take time and patience. “What are we doing with Quynh?”

“I’m not sure. I would say throw her back in the ocean...”

“You can’t do that,” Copley interjected. “She is a lost soul that just needs to be found. Show her some compassion.”

“The same kind she showed Nicky and Booker. She is unsavable at this point.” 

They remained silent as Andy guided the boat back to shore, but Andy’s mind was at work. What Copley had said stuck a cord in her. 

Nile and Joe but sat on the bed away from Nicky. They didn’t talk, just kept a watchful eye on the Italian. “I can’t believe, everything worked out. I was sure I was going to end up trapped at the bottom of the ocean.”

“You need to have some faith, Nile.”

“That’s rich coming from the man who pretty much went into the iron coffin willing, with no fight at all.”

“If I had known Nicolo was on the ship, I would have fought.”

Nile rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Joe. Even though she hadn’t been alive as long as the other old guard members, she knew she would never see a love as pure and passionate as Joe and Nicky’s. 

She may be young, but the girl knew how to read a room. Joe clearly wanted to be alone with Nicky. “I guess I’ll leave you too alone. I’ll come get you when we get close to shore.”

Joe was thankful and gave her a wink as headed left. Once they were truly alone, Joe cuddled up against Nicolo. Feeling his warm lively body against him, helped ease his worry. “Wake up my love.”

“I’m here” Nicky whispered, his eyes still closed. “I will always be here.”

“Never leave me again.”

“Never” Nicky promised, turning his body to face Joe. “I am sorry to have worried you.”

Joe fell silent, he had imagined what he would say to Nicky when they finally reunited, but seeing him here left him speechless. Those big blue eyes stared into his soul and Joe couldn’t even form a sentence. The love he felt for that man could not be described in simple words, it would take an eternity to even attempt to describe his love for Nicky. “I am just glad we are together again. Being apart from you was torture.”

“We are together now, that is all that matters.”

They laid in each other’s embrace. Nicky finally felt safe with his lover’s arms wrapped around him. He could almost forget about the horrors he endured. Both dozed off to sleep, but it wasn’t a long rest.

Nile gently shook them awake to alert them they were reaching the shore. They made their way to Andy. When they reached the deck, all three were drenched in the pouring rain. The sky erupted in lightning, with the bright light zooming across the sky. The thunder came next and was so loud it shook the boat. “Hurry” Nile screamed over the storm, grabbing Nicky’s hand. 

The door to the upper deck was held open by Booker. He smiled as Nile and Nicky entered, but he quickly dropped to a frown when Joe came in. He was still ashamed of betraying his family and knew Joe wouldn’t forgive him so easily, not like Nicky and Nile. 

“Glad you could join us” Andy said, pulling Nicky in for a hug. “I thought we had lost you.”

It quickly became a group hug when Nile and Booker joined in. No matter how old the Italian was he could never say no to a hug. 

Andy only broke the hug to go back to steering the ship. The waves could cause the boat to go off course. “I will get you as close to shore as I can and then you will take the speedboats the rest of the way. Copley is getting the boats ready now as we speak.”

“Why are you speaking like you won’t be coming with us?” Joe asked from across the room, his eyes staring at Quynh. Even though she was subdued, Joe knew how deadly she could be. He would keep Nicky safe at all costs.

“Because I am not going with you” Andy answered, earning a surprised gasp from Nile. “Copley was right. Quynh isn’t some monster…”

“I disagree,” Joe shouted, interrupting the boss. He couldn’t believe she would say such a thing. 

“Joe stop” Nicky whispered, grabbing his hand. “Let her finish.”

“Quynh used to be our sister, the love of my life. She is lost and I will help her find her way back to us. I gave up searching for her, I should have never done that. She needs some compassion and I will give it to her.”

Even though Joe didn’t agree, he kept this mouth shut. “I promise I won’t let her hurt any of you. We will remain on the boat until she is ready to rejoin the group.”

“Andy no! You can’t stay with her, she will kill you” Nile yelled not wanting to lose her friend.

“This is the only way, besides I don’t think she will kill me.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she said, pointing at the prisoner. “She is literally laughing at you saying she will kill you.”

“I’ll stay with Andy and make sure nothing happens to her” Booker volunteered. “I need a way to stay away from the alcohol and make peace within myself.”

“No, you are coming with us” Nile begged, shooting a pleading look at Joe and Nicky.

As much as Nicky wanted to agree, he knew that him and Joe still hadn’t fully forgiven Booker yet. It was easy for Nile to forgive and forget because she wasn’t the one strapped on a table and experimented on. 

“I think this would be for the best” Joe answered, giving the Frenchman a light tap on the shoulder. “I don’t hate you old friend, just need time to forgive. Please don’t beat yourself up about it. One mistake does not define you.”

“I can’t believe you are letting this happen” the newest member argued. “We are a family and we shouldn’t be separated.”

Andy went over to her and wiped away the tear falling from her eye. “It won’t be for forever. How about we meet back here in exactly one year and see what happens.”

“Okay” Nile agreed, crossing her arms. She may not like the plan, but there wasn’t much she could do to stop Andy. That woman always gets her way.

The group said their goodbyes, and then went off in separate directions. Andy and Booker stayed behind in the upper deck with Quynh, who was rocking back and forth like a madwoman.

Nile, Nicky, and Joe braved the storm as they made their way over to Copley. Two speedboats meant two to a boat. The man didn’t ask where the others were, just signaled Nile to come onto the boat. Nicky and Joe climbed into the other boat with Joe staying in the back to do the steering.

Once everyone was ready, Copley lowered them into the rough waters. The rain made it hard to see, and the waves were unpredictable and dangerous. Luckily they could see the lighthouse in the distance guiding their path.

The boats took off the second they hit the water. “Joe” Nicky yelled “there is a big wave coming to kill us.”

“I’m not going to let anything hurt you again” he promised, pushing the acceleration at full capacity. Nicky rolled his eyes, his love could be quite dramatic.

The wave began to break, but luckily they were far enough in front of it that they didn’t have to worry. The rest of the ride back to shore was easy. Both speedboats drove right onto the beach and they were left there with the key in the ignition.

The soaking wet crew went back to the hotel to dry off and sleep. In the morning, they could discuss their plans over breakfast.

Once they reached their hotel room, Nicky beelined straight for the shower. He was freezing from the outside and wanted to clean himself off. Unsurprisingly Joe was right behind him.

They washed away all their worries and troubles. Tomorrow was a new day. They would be together like always and nothing would ever change that.

After the two dried off, they climbed into the king bed. Joe eagerly wrapped his arms around Nicky pulling him into the cuddle position. “I love you” he whispered into Nicky’s ear. “You are my light and my world.”

“I love you too, my moon and stars. We will never be separated again. Whatever we do, we do together.”

The end!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you liked the story!!! Like and comments are greatly appreciated.


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